EA continues to expand its presence in the casual arena, adding casual gaming powerhouse PopCap to a portfolio that already includes Playfish.

EA confirmed the acquisition in a press release, which has been rumored for a few weeks now. The price is $650 million plus $100 million in stock and a multi-year earn-out.

"PopCap's great studio talent and powerful IP add to EA's momentum and accelerate our drive towards a $1 billion digital business," EA CEO John Riccitiello said in the release. "EA's global studio and publishing network will help PopCap rapidly expand their business to more digital devices, more countries, and more channels."

Ironically, this acquisition marks the indirect return of one-time EA employee Jeff Green, who is currently the Director of Social Media at PopCap. Green previously helmed Computer Gaming World/Games for Windows before joining the Sims team.

"As long as I get a free copy of Mass Effect 3, it's all good," he joked on Twitter.

With this acquisition, EA adds popular casual gaming titles Bejeweled, Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle to their lineup, which should make them even more formidable on the mobile and social media front.

This story, "Confirmed: EA purchases PopCap for $750 million" was originally published by
GamePro.